Friday, July 2, 2010— Dozens of sex offenders were arrested after a two-week roundup conducted by a joint county-federal task force, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced Friday. The initiative began the day after National Children’s Day on June 13th .

For two weeks the Cook County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force and the Cook County Probation Department on “Operation Children’s Day” to target compliant and non-compliant sex offenders, including fugitives.

PHASE 1 CONFIRMATION SEX OFFENDER COMPLIANCE
The first phase of the roundup took place during the week of June 13th and targeted the 79 registered sex offenders in unincorporated Cook County – ensuring they were adhering to all terms of probation, including computer access and proximity to children. This compliance initiative was in addition to the yearly check of sex offenders required under state law.

PHASE 2 TRACKING NON-COMPLIANT SEX OFFENDERS
The second phase of the operation took place during the week of June 20 and involved tracking down 80 non-compliant sex offenders living in suburban Cook County, including some who had warrants out for their arrest.

TRACKING DOWN 80 NON-COMPLIANT SEX OFFENDERS IN SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY:

• Police located and arrested ten on 17 different warrants
• 20 were recently deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• 9 were arrested for non-compliance with the sex offender registry and/or failing to register as a sex offender at their residence
• 4 who had not received previous notification instructions were notified they had 3 days to register as a sex offender.
• Among those arrested was one of Cook County’s Most Wanted: Tyreka Simms, who was tracked down in Louisiana and arrested with the help of officials in that state. Simms had violated terms of her probation after her conviction for molesting a mentally handicapped relative left with an STD after the assault.
• Also during the operation, officers arrested drug fugitive Billy Wade in Tinley Park after a five-hour standoff last Monday. Wade wasn’t a sex offender, but a tip led to his presence in an area CCSO police and U.S. Marshals were canvassing. Wade is now in custody on drug and gun charges.

With summer vacation here, the sheriff’s office recognizes the importance of cracking down on sex offenders to help ensure the public safety.

“We’re going to continue to be vigilant about keeping an eye on those who pose a danger to our children,” Dart said. “But I would encourage parents to also do their due diligence and check the state registry to identify sex offenders who might be living in their neighborhoods.”

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